Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-24
THE PRESBYTERIANS.
The Majority OF the Special Committee
sReport Adversely 10 the Union Of
the North and South Churches.
A Communication From the American
House of Bishops of the Episcopal
Church Read and Referred.

| ST. LOUIS, Mo-, May 23.-In the South
ern Presbyterian Assembly this morning
| the committee on organization of the CO.
operative union, or other relations with
| the Presbyterian church of the United
States, DR.. Snoot, chairman, presented
three reports. The committee is COM
posed of twenty-six members, sixteen of
whom made q msjority report, nine 8
minority report and one minimum mi
nor report. The majority recommends
/ the appointment of committee to be
| composed of FIVE ministers, five ruling
elders and the moderator of the assembly,
to confer with similar committee from
the other assembly and consider the whole
subject, the committee to report at the
next general assembly. This committee
is instructed to take and maintain the
| following position: Their &C
ceptance of the common standards of
our church confession of faith. The
! longer and shorter catechism does not, in
our minds, form sufficient basis Of I'M
ion, but the acceptance of that peculiar
Interpretation of our standards which al
firms and emphasizes the thoroughly
scriptural nature of Christ's kingdom
and forbids her legislating upon political
or civil matters Is the only true basis of
union, and, further, we insist that the
colored brethren within our bounds shall
be organized into separate congregations,
presb teries and synods. The report
which was read by DR.. Smoet says;
eve are of opinion that the diff
culties in the way of a union are so
numerous and of so serious nature that
mainly out of the fact that the two
churches are not agreed in matters of
either principle or polity. The pies that
the two have the same "cOnfession Of
faith' may be fully met by the simple
statement that evangelical congregations
have the same Protestant Bible, but the
arises out of the Interpretation of
the teaching of the two books,
so the separate existence OF the southern
church is as much demanded, because of
the widely different Interpretation of the
Language of that. confession of faith IN
matters of doctrines No suggestion
has been made or, in the opinion of those
signing the paper can be made, for the re-
mOval of this most serious obstacle
which meets US at the very opening of
LIlS QuCSLlOus IL uuIGC VI dILCllDL W
unite the two churches on any compro-
mise on fundamental differences, O upon
any general statements, such as the
reception of standards "pure and
simple" serves only TO bring together
those who could not act in harmony and
would perpetuate strife and dissension.
These conclusions have been reached by
us after full and complete examination
NF kbo ybO1 in Tba linh oil
the papers submitted for our considera-
ton. The discussion Of the question for
sometime past by the north and south |
has made it equally manifest that further !
8 agitation ofthis question would hinder the |
weaken the efficiency and endan- |
ger the unity of our own church The /
minimum report of Mr.. Parks dissents |
from the majority and says the union of |
the two great bodies of Presbyterians
would make too large body and it's en-
tertainment would be an intolerable bur
den on the churches where meetings |
should be held The union would pro-
duce ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the southern |
church, large numbers of influential mem
bers of the latter being radically opposed |
to such action. The assembly should So
licit an expression from the Presbyteries |
before taking action. A member should not |
be sent out to find g wife for the body be-
fore it is known the body wanted wife.
A communication was received from the
American house of bishops of the Episco-
pal church with reference to a union of
Ill Protestant churches, and expressing
the hope that the unhappy breach now
existing between the various churches
could be healed. The declarations Of
1858 and 1880, advocating Christian
union against the usurpation of the
Bishop of Rome were referred to. The
enumerated the grounds
Of common belief and practice among
Protestant churches. The matter was
referred to the committee on foreign cor
to formulate reply.